At Radio 254, we’re always excited to celebrate our Kenyan culture in fresh and creative new ways. When Kenya Cane launched the new Lemon and Ginger flavor, we were able to create a campaign that brought the vision to life through music, stories, and our culture. It was a chance to connect with our audience in a real way, highlighting what makes us proudly Kenyan while introducing a bold new taste that is just as vibrant as our people. We […]
Welcome to the June 20 edition of New Music on the Radar, where we track the pulse of Kenya’s evolving soundscape. This week’s roundup offers a diverse sonic buffet — from the sharpened symbolism of Buruklyn Boyz’s Machete, to the heartfelt vows exchanged in Jovial and Otile Brown’s wedding anthem I Got You. Toxic Lyrikali rides a Jamaican riddim into Nairobi’s lived reality on Backbencher, while Gwaash teams up with Iano Ranking and MASTAR VK for a raw gengetone club […]
Kenya is witnessing a resurgence of widespread protests, dubbed Maandamano Season 2, a powerful echo of the June 2024 anti-Finance Bill demonstrations. Sparked by the brutal death of 31-year-old teacher and blogger Albert Omondi Ojwang in police custody, these protests shifted focus from economic grievances to a searing demand for justice against police brutality. The organic movement returning to the streets was aptly captured by an X user going by Chris (@X_ChrisM) who proclaimed, "Kama hizi ndio numbers za maandamano […]
This week’s picks are for the real lovers—four songs that stretch genre lines while staying rooted in local narratives. From soul-stirring Afro-Indie reflections and raw Swahili rap confessions to playful coastal ballads and high-energy dancefloor anthems, the JUN 13 edition of New Music on the Radar celebrates both musical experimentation and emotional honesty. Whether it’s Njerae reaching across continents, Asum Garvey switching cadence, Fadhilee Itulya revisiting ancestral grooves, or Malosh commanding the club, these tracks deserve your rotation. Njerae ft. […]
Someone recently asked me, how did King Kaka get to the BET Awards? And that is when I realized that the purpose of King Kaka’s trip to the US might have been informed by the fact that King Kaka had been invited to attend the BET Awards that was happening in June 2025. The 2025 and 25th BET Awards took place on June 9, 2025, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California. In attendance of this prestigious BET Award […]
Last Thursday, Nairobi buzzed with creativity as the U.S.-Kenya Creative Economy Forum 2025 kicked off at the plush Emara Ole-Sereni hotel. Organized by the U.S. Embassy in Kenya and the American Chamber of Commerce Kenya (AmCham), this landmark event brought together over 300 industry heavyweights, policymakers, and artists to unlock the potential of Kenya’s creative sector. For Kenyan music lovers, the forum’s ripple effects could reshape the industry, with stars like Nikita Kering and Willy Paul stealing the spotlight—and sparking […]
The tragic death of Albert Ojwang, a 31-year-old teacher and social media influencer from Voi, has ignited a firestorm of grief, outrage, and questions across Kenya. On June 7, 2025, Ojwang was arrested at his family home in Kakot, Homa Bay, for allegedly posting “defamatory” content about Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Eliud Lagat on X. Less than 24 hours later, he was dead in a cell at Nairobi’s Central Police Station, with the official narrative claiming he took […]
Welcome dear readers to the first weekly music round up of June 2025.We feature a punchy raw rap single from An21 KE and Karis from the Recipe EP that debuted earlier this week on radio 254 exclusively. Two Alternative or (Odi Pop if you love genre names so much) have released songs with almost similar titles, Tiki Tako by Matata and Tikitaka by TheLuchi, what are the odds of that? We also highlight Willy Paul’s new tune with Guchi, a […]
Kenya stands at a pivotal moment in its democratic journey with the National Assembly’s approval of Erastus Edung Ethekon as the new Chairperson of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) on June 4, 2025, alongside six commissioners. This long-overdue reconstitution aims to restore a crippled institution tasked with safeguarding the nation’s electoral integrity. Yet, the shadow of history looms large—decades of politicized commissions, electoral malpractices, and a rising tide of youth-led activism demand scrutiny. As Kenya navigates this delicate […]
